It’s Monday! What are you reading?
Each week I share a reading photo of the week. During the summer, these photos will be about getting my classroom library up and running for a room full of readers in September. This past week has been all about sorting and stacking. Where is the best spot for each book? And then how am I going to make a system so students can access titles? New grade, new class means new thinking. There is a blog post brewing . . .
And look at all of those piles! I am not even close to done.
Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.
On the Blog:
This week was all about #pb10for10! My list? Big questions: picture books that inspire philosophical discussion
Books I enjoyed:
If a T. Rex Crashes your Birthday Party written by Jill Esbaum with illustrations by Dasha Tolstikova
What could go wrong? This book provides a list. Stinky breath. Loud tantrums. Ineptitude with party games (those little arms). Pure disaster? It seems so. Or does it? A great title for dino lovers and birthday party enthusiasts. I giggled through it. Perfect story time title.
This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne
Really, really funny. And interactive and delightful. If I was teaching Grade 1 this year, this would be a first week read aloud.
Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
This book is so well done. Talking about the story is giving away the story. So I’ll just say this: clever, really funny, perfect read aloud to inspire much conversation about how to look at life.
The Mutts Diaries by Patrick McDonnell
Strips collected. I love reading these first thing in the morning and just smiling to myself.
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
I had a really hard time leaving this book to do all of the things life requires: eat, sleep, empty the dishwasher, wake up my kids. I was completely taken with these characters from page one. Gephart can write. And her words are full of human, of beauty, of deep feelings. It’s hard to describe the reading experience. You will get battered. You will worry. You will learn. And you will connect deeply to these characters. I now want everyone I know to read this book so we can talk about it. There is so much here. And I haven’t even talked plot. Go. Find the book. Meet Lily. Meet Dunkin. You will be better because of it.
Reading Progress updates:
2016 Chapter Book Challenge: 32/75 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 219/400 books read
#MustReadin2016: 20/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 31/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2016: 28/50 books read
Up Next? I am reading a number of titles including Nine, Ten: A September 11th Story
There's a Book for That 
I read Barnacle is Bored at the end of the year to first and second graders. They loved it!
Great review! I cannot WAIT to share Lily and Dunkin with students.
I’m looking forward to Lily & Dunkin. I really like Gephart. Barnacle Is Bored has such a fun cover–definitely looking for that one!
I’ve been curious about “This Book Ate My Dog” as I’ve seen the cover. Now I want to get my hands on a copy as it sounds like it will be hugely appealing. It sort of reminds me of “The Monster at the End of This Book”.
Oh, I can’t wait to read about how you decide to organise your class library (and your strategies for ensure that it stays organised once the enthusiastic kids get their hands on it….)! 😉
While I enjoyed Lily and Dunkin, I just thought it was a lot to take in in one book! It looks like your space is coming along even if you have a ways to go.
I am super jealous of your white shelves. I need more more more shelves!
We leave FL tomorrow. I’m getting anxious to get into my room and work on my library. Won’t get started until the first day of school. Good thing I don’t have students on day 1!
Loved the humourous picture books you shared! That always plays well at school and at home for me!
I loved This Book Just Ate My Dog. I have If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party sitting on the floor in my family room but haven’t read it yet. I need to get around to that this week 🙂
This Book Just Ate My Dog looks hilarious! I need to read that! I can’t wait to get to Lily and Dunkin. I purchased it this summer and haven’t gotten to it yet.
The Mutts Diaries looks like a book my students would love! I’ll have to look for it. Thanks! My room is the same massive pile of books, that I have to turn into a classroom library by next week! So I feel you! Have a great week!
Lily and Dunkin is one that I really hope I get to. It looks wonderful!
I loved the Mutts Diary! They are such a fun comic strip!
Happy reading (and unpacking and organizing) this week! 🙂
Love the blue bins on the white shelves, and that you have books with covers facing out! It will come together. Lucky students to be walking into your classroom.
You better believe that if we lived closer (same country 😉 ) we would be spending some excellent hours in the company and classroom of each other! As hard as I have it setting up my classroom library each summer, I can only imagine you are finding it even more of a challenge with the grade shift! A fun challenge.
Now I need to locate a copy of Barnacle is Bored and have added Lily & Dunkin to my list. xo
The picture books look like fun, and I love the snapshots of your library in progress. It sounds like I should meet Lily and Duncan as soon as possible.
Thanks for the wonderful recommendations. And have FUN filling those generous bookshelves….lucky students! Wishing you a happy, fulfilling new school year!
Loving the progress of your classroom. An organized anything makes me so happy.